Local News

Antiques Roadshow, Fort Morgan edition

Appraiser Terry King gives Brown Bag Lunch talk on antiques

By Stephanie Alderton

Times Staff Writer

Posted:
07/12/2016 06:11:31 PM MDT

Noted Denver antiques appraiser Terry King gave a talk at the Fort Morgan Public Library on Tuesday about how to find the value of collectable items. The Brown Bag Lunch event drew a large audience. (Stephanie Alderton / Fort Morgan Times)

A large audience gathered at the Fort Morgan Public Library Tuesday afternoon to learn what separates a piece of junk from a valuable heirloom.

Terry King, an antique appraiser from Denver, spoke at the library's latest Brown Bag Lunch event. King has appeared at library events before, but this time his focus was on teaching the audience about "how value is created," and what makes some antiques worth more than others. After a short lecture on the tricks of the appraisal trade, he answered questions about specific antiques and categories.

As an example, King started by talking about two similar paintings by the same Dutch artist, one of which recently sold for millions of dollars, and one of which sold for $12,000. He explained that many different factors go into determining a painting's value--not only its age and style, but also whether or not it was made by the famous painter himself or just someone in his studio, which isn't always easy to determine. Other types of collector's items, he said, have their own sets of rules.

"Collecting antiques and art, it has its own language," King said.

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He explained the "three laws of appraisals," which state that collectors themselves define each category of art or antiques that they collect, along with the "rarities" and all other definitions within those categories. This can make collecting difficult to understand for a newcomer. King said it's important for beginners to understand the rules of their particular category.

Some rules, though, are universal. King said it's never a good idea to have a damaged antique "fixed," for example, since that will almost always decrease its value. Demand also drives up the price of many items, which is why, for example, a signed photograph or document is usually worth less if the signature is addressed to a specific person.

After his initial lecture, King took questions from the audience, some of whom brought their own antiques to the event. One man brought a high school diploma and a ledger that once belonged to local historical figure Howard Rollin. King said items like those are worth more near the place where they originated.

"The enhancement to value here is...in this place," he said.

Other audience members asked about how to preserve historical documents and how to find the value in books, which King said can be especially tricky. He ended the session by handing out his card and chatting with individual audience members.

Lanny Page, of the Fort Morgan Public Library, announced that the library's next free event will be a chautauqua speech at City Park on Thursday. Elsa Wolff, who portrayed Amelia Earhart at the latest event in June, will be back as Grand Ole Opry comedian Minnie Pearl. The chautauqua will begin at 5 p.m., before the Concert in the Park.

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